Sunday, November 01, 2009

Name Calling

MSNBC’s David Shuster openly hoped: "Have centrists been frightened away from the Republican Party by the right-wing birthers, Tenthers, and town hall screamers?"

Once you've "named" them sneeringly enough, just repeat the label until it's evident that they're beneath consideration. Never mind reporting on their issues, arguments or positions at all. They've been labeled. . .

To the above trio, of course, add the scornfully applied "tea-baggers." This term, btw, is gay slang for a sexual act. Notice how the mainstream media reserves the right to disparage gays when useful (it's clear by the application to the tea-party groups that they think it has derogatory meaning already), while typically chest-thumping in support the rest of the time? It's inconsistent and illogical.

Today's Left Media is the master--apply a previously unrelated term to some conservatives, say it with a sneer, and repeat as necessary until listeners become biased. Then, apply the label to the larger group and get guilt-by-association. Presto-chango: no actual debate necessary! So a single sentence writes off around 40% of the population as unreasonable and unworthy of serious consideration. Quick and convenient: nice work if you can get it.

Given the Democrats' declining fortunes, other opposition organizations surely will arise. And the press will want to apply a similar punishment. To that end, I offer a list of potential derogatory terms for the next targets of this tactic:

I'm not even sure what some of the names might mean. But they sure sound like "a nice knock-down argument." And there's enough of them to last through the first (and, hopefully, only) Obama administration.